Tag Archives: McArthur

Cardiff Preview – can they do it again?

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Previews, Other and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Martinez

Can they do it again? Win the FA Cup?

Little has been mentioned about it in the media but Wigan Athletic are in the last 16. It is only the third time in their history that they have done that.

This time last year Latics went to Huddersfield and beat them 4-1. With his team struggling Roberto Martinez had made seven changes to his starting lineup, indicating that a Cup run was secondary to Premier League survival. At that time he could not have guessed that Latics would win the FA Cup and shake the foundations of the football establishment.

In Saturday’s match Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a similar choice to that previously faced by Martinez. Cardiff City currently lie in 19th place, but just two points behind safety and 17th place.

For their fourth round match at Bolton Solskjaer made five changes from the team that started the previous league game. That included key players Steven Caulker, Fraiser Campbell and Gary Medel. Cardiff were to win at Bolton through a Campbell goal after home keeper Andy Lonerghan had spilled the ball. However, it should be noted that in the third round they had an excellent 2-1 win at Newcastle.

Wigan Athletic’s lineup in the third round home tie against MK Dons included five players who had played in that famous FA Cup Final. Latics’ goals in the 3-3 draw came from three of those heroes – Roger Espinoza, Jordi Gomez and Callum McManaman. Of those players only Roger Espinoza and James McArthur have played in the three FA Cup ties Latics have played so far. However, there is no doubting that all the players who played in last year’s cup run would love to make Saturday’s lineup.

Uwe Rosler has made it clear that he rates the FA Cup as an important competition, despite the pressures he faces in getting Latics into the Championship playoffs this season. Rosler deems squad rotation as a natural occurrence, a view foreign to those who criticize him for not having a settled lineup. He cites the example of Alex Ferguson of never having the same lineup in successive games.

The German is much harder to read in his team selections than his predecessors. However, he has given both Callum McManaman and Roger Espinoza a break in the last two matches, so they are likely to make the starting lineup at Swansea. Both will have a lot to prove.

Espinoza scored one of the goals of the season in the home game with MK Dons and will be keen to show what he can do to get a regular place in the starting lineup. He has now been with the club for 13 months, but has not been able to claim a regular first team place. He is a fan favourite for his commitment and he shows no mean level of skill, but he has yet to convince Rosler that he should be high in his priorities.

McManaman is the most talented player remaining at the club. If it had not been for an injury in the Arsenal match just three days after the FA Cup Final he probably would not be at Wigan now. Being ‘’Man of the Match” in an FA Cup Final is something he will savour for the rest of his life. Life at Wigan has been a rollercoaster ride for him as I outlined in in my article of September.

Cardiff are a Premier League side and they will be facing Championship opponents. The bookmakers make them favourites. However, as Cup-holders Latics will give it all they have got. Moreover Wigan have a core of players, who have not only Premier League experience, but have helped the club win the FA Cup.

Those who remain from the Cup winning team will be keen to show that they can still do it. Moreover they will be backed up by players brought in by Owen Coyle who have ample Premier League experience.

In terms of the lineup on Saturday it might well be that Wigan have more players with Premier League experience than Cardiff.  But then again we will have to see the lineups the managers put out.

The bad news for Latics is that Rosler’s new strike force – Nicky Maynard and Martyn Waghorn – are cup-tied and unable to play. Moreover central defenders Markus Holgersson, Ivan Ramis and Thomas Rogne are not yet fully fit, although they played in an under 21 game in midweek. In their absence Emmerson Boyce and Leon Barnett will once again play in the middle. Jean Beausejour has started in two consecutive matches within the space of three days, so will most likely be rested, with Stephen Crainey brought in.

Rosler may need to rest either or both of Ben Watson and James McArthur who have played a lot of football recently. Cup winners Roger Espinoza and Jordi Gomez will be keen to step in. The front three will most likely be Callum McManaman, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Nick Powell, assuming the latter is now fit.

One thing is for sure – Latics will not relinquish their hold on the cup without a fight. Getting into the last eight is certainly a possibility.

Who knows – maybe they can do it again?

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Maribor 2 Wigan Athletic 1 – unlucky Latics go out with dignity

Posted by JJ (Tony) in Match Reports, Other and tagged with , , , , , ,
The Ljudskivrt Stadium in, Maribor

The Ljudskivrt Stadium in, Maribor

A controversial refereeing decision was a hammer blow for a Latics side that was back to playing good football and a goal ahead. If they could have kept their lead they would have qualified for the Round of 32, as Zulte Waregem were to lose at home to Rubin Kazan. The decision made for uneven contest and hard though Latics tried it was to prove not enough.

It is ironic that this should be the match in which the referee became the issue. Up to this point the standard of arbitrage in the Europa League games had made that of the Championship look woeful in comparison.

Latics were a goal up when a shot from the edge of the box hit Chris McCann’s arm. McCann had turned his back to the shot and the ball hit an upraised arm. It was clearly not intentional, but the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak not only gave a penalty, but also gave McCann a yellow card. Since he already had one after 25 minutes he was sent off.

In the space of a minute Latics went from euphoria to despair. They had matched the home side, playing neat possession football, going ahead with a penalty from the rejuvenated Jordi Gomez after a foul on Nick Powell in the 41st minute. Not long before the Spaniard’s superb free kick had hit the post. Then a minute later came the worst case scenario, although Carson parried Dejan Mezga’s  penalty kick on to the post the ball rebounded back to the same player who scored.

Uwe Rosler put out as positive a lineup as he could, given the resources he had.  James Perch came in at right back, Thomas Rogne in the centre of defence and Jean Beausejour at left back. James McArthur and Chris McCann were in the holding midfield roles. Callum McManaman played on the right, Roger Espinoza nominally on the left. Nick Powell was the lone centre forward, with Jordi Gomez playing in the ‘hole’ behind him

It was refreshing to see the style of football Latics played, even in the early stages. The ball was on the ground, they looked comfortable and although they did not create clear-cut chances early on they nullified the home side.

It clearly suited the ex-Martinez players, who looked a class above what they were under Owen Coyle. Gomez, Beausejour and McArthur in particular looked classy and clearly enjoying their game.

The sending off completely changed the match. Wigan brought on Ben Watson after half time to replace McCann, having to sacrifice McManaman who had looked lively on the right wing.

10 men Latics continued to play with spirit and skill but a superb strike from outside the area by Zeljko Filipovic put the hosts 2-1 up. As Wigan pushed forward Nusmir Fajic took advantage of the space available and should have added to the home team’s tally, but hit his shot wife when one on one with Carson.

From then on it was all Wigan. The Maribor penalty area was besieged, especially in the last 10 minutes of the match.

Marc-Antoine Fortune had come on for Powell after 65 minutes and he was unlucky in the closing minutes as Handanovic, at full stretch, pushed his shot away. The big keeper then saved a powerful drive from Watson.

In the end Latics could not get that equalizer and Maribor marched on to the next round.

The Good

What a pleasure it was to see Latics playing good football again. They looked like a re-energised team.

There was a clear tactical formation and each player played his part for the full 90 minutes. The distribution from defence was much better as the centre backs resisted hoofing the ball or making back passes to the goalkeeper. Instead they made short passes to midfield players who dropped back to receive.  Carson managed to minimize his habitual punts up field, instead trying to find a team mate closer by.

Playing Beausejour at left back was an attacking move. It is always going to be a gamble, given his defensive frailties. However, the Chilean effectively played as an extra attacker, helping build up moves and putting over tantalizing crosses. Having Espinoza playing on the same side meant that there was going to be some cover if the ball was lost.

Jordi Gomez was a revelation in the creative midfield role. He was tireless in his efforts and his passing was excellent. There has been a lot of conjecture as to whether Gomez can function in the high tempo style that Rosler is going to demand. This performance suggests he can make the transition.

The Bad

Latics still lack a central striker who can make a difference. Maribor were rocking in the last ten minutes, but there was just no one to put the loose balls into the net.

Player Ratings

Scott Carson: 7 – did all that was asked of him defensively, including a penalty save. Rosler has clearly spoken to him about his distribution, which was much improved.

James Perch: 6 – looked much better on the right flank than on the left.

Leon Barnett: 6 – solid in defence.

Thomas Rogne: 6 – solid and his distribution was much better.

Jean Beausejour: 8 – back in from the cold. A fine performance of attacking full back play.

James McArthur: 7 – deservedly made captain for the night. Looked like the player he was under Martinez. Substituted after 73 minutes.

Chris McCann: 6 – unlucky to be sent off.

Jordi Gomez: 8 – endured trying times under Owen Coyle, but must have impressed his new manager with an excellent performance.

Callum McManaman: 7 – although often surrounded by two or three defenders he stuck to his task and looked useful. One superb cross could have led to a goal, but the central defender got to the ball before Powell. Substituted after 45 minutes.

Nick Powell: 7 – good to see him back on form. He could well be a permanent fixture at centre forward under Rosler. Substituted after 65 minutes.

Roger Espinoza: 6- not at his best and ran the risk of being sent off after a yellow card in the first half. Nevertheless added energy to the team and put in some nice passes.

Substitutes

Ben Watson: – not at his best and almost gave away a goal with a sloppy back pass. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the Rosler style of play.

Marc-Antoine Fortune: – desperately short of goals, with just one to his tally all season. When he has got in shots on goal the goalkeeper has made great saves, as did Handanovic in this match. Could play a role out on the flanks in the new system.

Emmerson Boyce: – came on after 73 minutes, with Perch moving to midfield.

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Stoke City 2 Wigan Athletic 2: Brilliant Latics bounce back

Posted by Ned in Match Reports, News and tagged with , , , , ,

Two top quality strikes capped a stylish second half comeback after a freak goal and isolated breakaway had given Stoke City a 2-0 lead.

Given the scarcity of defenders and strikers at his disposal, Roberto Martinez fielded a midfield-heavy XI reminiscent of the Spanish national team in makeup. If the first half was sloppy and disjointed from both sides, however, the second was all Wigan, with the type of calm possession football that would have done Spain themselves proud.

The first goal was perhaps the best piece of football in Wigan’s season thus far, Franco Di Santo cushioning a driven ball to Roger Espinoza, whose perfectly weighted one-time pass was elegantly finished by the on-rushing James McArthur. One touch football at its finest.

It rightly gave Wigan the kind of confidence we haven’t seen since that run of form last season. It was the same trio that created the equaliser — Espinoza floating the ball towards McArthur, who nodded it back for an emphatic Di Santo finish.

McArthur, Maloney and Di Santo would go close as Latics went in search of victory, but it wasn’t to be. The point, however, is a good one, and the second half performance has us dreaming again.

The Good:

Midfielders in the Martinez era have been goal shy. Although James McCarthy had a conservative match, it was fantastic to see both Roger Espinoza and James McArthur takes some risks and get into scoring positions. The goals came when they drove forward.

Espinoza had a wobbly first half, but an excellent second one. He certainly looks a useful signing. He is positive with his passing, energetic, and willing to try something different.

Roman Golobart had a sound match, defensively speaking. With Emmerson Boyce hobbling off with a hamstring injury, it was a huge boost to witness the young Spaniard make a satisfactory Premier League debut.

The Bad:

Both goals conceded were arguably errors that need to be wiped out. While the first had an element of bad luck to it with Jean Beausejour’s clearance bouncing off the back of McCarthy’s head, a more assertive clearance would have prevented the goal.

Ali Al-Habsi’s new habbit of saving the ball into the path of an on-rushing striker has cost Wigan several goals this season. It was a difficult save to make on a wet pitch, but a confident Ali would have steered it away from goal.

Conclusions:

While an opportunity to take three points was lost, any draw at the Britannia is a valuable one. The football Wigan played in the second half — and the quality goals they scored — should give them the confidence boost needed to prevail over Southampton in Saturday’s crucial match.

Player Ratings:

Ali Al-Habsi: 5 — Just isn’t inspiring confidence. Didn’t have much to do, but spilled the second goal into Peter Crouch’s path.

Roman Golobart: 6 — Some nervous passing in the first half, but got better and made one vital tackle in the second half. His distribution improved as he grew in confidence.

Gary Caldwell: 7 — Did very well to cope with the physical and aerial threat of the Stoke attackers. His passing was excellent.

Maynor Figueroa: 7 — Average first half but classy in second. Drives the team forward when he attacks.

Emmerson Boyce: 5 — Went off with a hamstring injury, which might explain why he was being beaten so easily by Matthew Etherington in the first half.

Jean Beausejour: 6.5 — Mixed bag. His best game for some time, he delivered two or three lovely crosses and played some good football but still not confident. Poor clearance in the build-up to the first goal, however.

James McArthur: 8 — One of the few to put in a good full 90 minutes. Scored a cracker, set up the equaliser, and almost struck a winner.

James McCarthy: 6 — Steady but wish he would take the match by the scruff of its neck. He could dominate.

Roger Espinoza: 7.5 — Some dodgy passing early on, but was outstanding in the second half. Influential.

Shaun Maloney: 7 — A constant menace but no end product today. He did supply a gorgeous, Beckham-esque cross for Di Santo towards the end that deserved to end up in the back of the net.

Franco Di Santo: 7 — Took his goal very well and almost got a second, but drifted out wide often away from the box. Should take on defenders more frequently. Needs to be more arrogant, as Martinez would say.

Subs:

Ronnie Stam: 6.6 — One fantastic cross, otherwise held on to the ball well and didn’t let the team down defensively.

Wigan Athletic 2 West Ham 1 -Champagne football returns to the DW

Posted by Ned in Match Reports, News and tagged with , , , , ,

The slim margin on the DW scoreboard betrayed a thoroughly dominant, flowing performance filled with invention and verve that might have ended up in a +3 or +4 margin on another day. Save for a scrappy opening six minutes, Wigan recreated the stylish, exciting form show in last season’s glorious final chapter.

The Good:

Almost everything. More than half the team put in their strongest performances of the season, with special praise reserved for Shaun Maloney who orchestrated almost every Wigan attack with clever flicks, darting runs, and eye of the needle through-balls. Maynor Figueroa recovered from a tired performance at Swansea with a masterful display at the back and some stunning passing. Ivan Ramis’ goal should be up there for goal of the season. James McArthur and James McCarthy were phenomenal and it is only a shame Jussi Jaaskelainen denied the latter a line amongst the goalscorers with an excellent first half save. Jean Beausejour and Emmerson Boyce, in different ways, were extremely effective on the day. And there was a return to form for Gary Caldwell.

The result was crucial. Microphones clearly picked up Roberto’s instructions to “keep it” with ten minutes to play, despite the ease with which Latics were cutting through West Ham’s back line. While many of us were craving that third killer goal, the manager knew that securing three points unspectacularly was more important. The win boosts the club’s points tally but more importantly provides a shot of confidence and a platform to build on. Not many teams will beat Wigan in that sort of home form.

The Bad:

The fact that the margin did end up so slim is a reminder that finishing must improve. Arouna Koné was energetic, skillful and always dangerous, but fluffed his lines on a couple occasions and should have put the game beyond reach. Franco Di Santo, playing a slightly deeper role, found himself shooting hopefully from outside the box when better options might have been available. Both had good games though — the partnership shows great promise.

Final Thoughts: 

What a shame Ryo Miyaichi was not on the bench for this one. The speed with which Wigan were breaking in those final 20 minute was impressive — he would surely have capitalized on the by then very leaky West Ham defence.

The fact that Ronnie Stam was on the bench for a league match raised a few eyebrows. Word on the street is that further Premier League appearances would activate a clause in his contract. Perhaps Roberto now believes he is ready to challenge Emmerson Boyce on the right, and may be worth the money such a clause might cost the club? Or perhaps it was a reminder to Boyce that his place is not automatic. Either way — it was nice to have him as an option, and Boyce responded with a strong performance.

Player Ratings: 

Ali Al-Habsi: 8 — Looked bright and confident, made one or two crucial saves.

Maynor Figueroa: 9 — Strong in the air and on the ground, and his passing was sensational.

Gary Caldwell: 8 — A return to form at the heart of the defence. A little shaky in the opening minutes as he tested the waters with Carroll, but dominant as the game went on.

Ivan Ramis: 9 — What a goal. Looks better every match.

Emmerson Boyce: 7.5 — Plays a much more defensive role than his counterpart on the left side, but was intelligent with his passing and movement when he did get forward. Did his part defensively — West Ham’s wingers were ineffective.

Jean Beausejour: 8 — Strong performance from the Chilean, who was unlucky not to score with a fine left-footed strike in the first half. Lost Tomkins for the consolation header but was impressive throughout.

James McArthur: 9 — How pleasing to see him take his goal so well. Worked his socks off as always, but has understated quality about his game too.

James McCarthy: 9 — Also fantastic in the centre of the park. Very pleasing to see him shooting with greater frequency, and getting forward more often. He doesn’t often have the opportunity to show his pace, but when Watson replaced Di Santo and McCarthy was pushed slightly further forward, he led the counter-attacking charge on more than one occasion.

Shaun Maloney: 9 — Outstanding. Has found his home.

Franco Di Santo: 8 — Very good work rate and hold up play, quality passing. Didn’t have any clear chances but the ovation he received upon being substituted shows how appreciated he is these days.

Arouna Koné: 7.5 — Tricky to grade this performance. He was a constant threat, constantly got past his man, but guilty of missing a  couple quality chances.

Subs:

Ben Watson: Looked almost surprised at how much time he had on the ball, so exhausted were the West Ham midfielders after being given the Jimmy Mac runaround for 80 minutes. Played some nice football in his time on the pitch and freed James McCarthy into a more attacking role.

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 MANCHESTER CITY 1 – A VALIANT DISPLAY FROM LATICS

Posted by Ned in Other and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A valiant display by Wigan Athletic, but in the end not enough to share the points. It was heartening to see the amount of fight and conviction shown by the Latics against a team way beyond their league in resources and sheer footballing talent. This was certainly no capitulation: no player could be faulted for effort from my viewpoint.

Latics switched their tactical lineup to the old 4-2-1-3 system, with Albert Crusat coming in on the left wing and James McArthur brought in to play the holding midfield role with James McCarthy. Mohamed Diame was absent on Senegal duty and David Jones out injured. Manchester City played Dzeko and Aguero up front and they were to give the Latics central defenders, Caldwell and Alcaraz, a very testing afternoon.

The first 20 minutes or so were really quite open with Wigan attacking with some verve and City promising, but not quite delivering. There was a warning sign after 10 minutes when a cross from Clichy found Dzeko unmarked, but luckily for Wigan he headed wide. It was therefore no surprise when he scored an opportunist header in the 22nd minute from Silva’s free kick. Neither Caldwell nor Alcaraz were close enough to challenge him in his leap. It was a pity to lose a goal like that because Latics had played some good football and had some half chances. Al Habsi made a great save from the dangerous Aguero as the first half was coming to an end.

The first part of the second half saw increasing City pressure, only the excellence of Al Habsi keeping them out. His double saves from Aguero, then from Silva, were absolutely outstanding. Not long after that Aguero skated through the Wigan defence, but somehow Dzeko got in his way and Wigan were let off the hook. Despite this pressure Wigan had still not thrown in the towel and seemed to grow in confidence. Watson and Di Santo were brought on to replace the tiring McArthur and Crusat and Wigan began to attack with some gusto. Their best effort came when a fine pass by Rodallega put McCarthy through, only for his cross shot to be blocked by Hart’s foot.

In the 88th minute Maynor Figueroa deliberately handled the ball when Aguero would have been clean through. He was fortunate to escape with a yellow card, although much has been made in the press since of Mancini’s cynical waving of the imaginary red card at the refereeing team. Mancini should have no complaints about the refereeing: practically every time City went down they got a foul whereas they were not afraid to stifle any attacking intent from Latics with tactical/professional fouling. City average over 12 fouls per game this season, significantly higher than those other clubs in the top six. The match stats read 17 fouls committed by Wigan and 15 by City, but those figures could have been easily reversed given the number of calls he made for 50-50 challenges, almost all of which went against Latics. Both teams finished with 3 yellow cards.

The Good

Martinez showed tactical flexibility in reverting to the old system and the lineup was well balanced. He played with three front players plus Jordi Gomez in the hole behind the centre forward. A bold move against such formidable opposition. Latics played some good football at times and, with luck, could have snatched a result in the last 20 minutes. There was certainly no capitulation and they were taking the game to City in that last quarter of the match. A spirited performance.

The Bad

The defence looked leaky throughout, despite really gritty efforts from the back four to hold back the floodgates. Having said that Dzeko and Aguero are two of the best strikers in the league and are going to cause problems for any defence. However, failing to challenge Dzeko in the air led to one goal and it was lucky it was not two in the first half.

Player Ratings

Ali Al Habsi: 9 – Another superb display. Kept Latics in the game with outstanding saves.

Ronnie Stam: 5 – Has been outstanding in recent games as a wing back, but in this game he had to revert to full back, where he struggles.

Antolin Alcaraz: 4 – The poorest game I have seen him play for Latics. We rely on him to win the ball in the air and he did not do it enough in this match.

Gary Caldwell: 4 – At times looked out of his depth. Tends to really struggle against the quality strikers of the top teams.

Maynor Figueroa: 5 – Not one of his best days, but as always he hung in there and tried his hardest. Lucky not to be sent off.

James McCarthy: 8 – Worked tirelessly in shielding his defence from the City onslaught, showing good skills. Good to see him getting forward, unlucky with his shot on goal in the second half.

James McArthur: 6 – The perennial substitute was given a starting role in the Premier League for only the second time this year. Given his lack of match practice he did a pretty good job. Although he misplaced some passes he did a lot of solid defensive work and put some nice balls forward. Showed his technique with a good snap-shot in the first half.

Jordi Gomez: 7 – Worked hard to try to engineer Latics attacks. Put in some nice touches and covered a lot of ground.

Victor Moses: 5 – Was too greedy in this match, too many times opting to dribble when teammates were in better positions awaiting a pass.

Hugo Rodallega: 7 – Worked tirelessly as the lone centre forward. Gradually regaining his form.

Albert Crusat: 6 – Hardly got the ball. Looked good when he had it. Showing improvement in the defensive side of his game.

Substitutes

Ben Watson: – Surprising to see McArthur preferred to him in the starting line-up. Did a useful job after coming on in the 68th minute.

Franco Di Santo – Tried hard but to no end result after coming on in the 68th minute.

Callum McNamaman – Only came on in the last 10 minutes and had little chance to shine.